'Real Housewives' Realtor Gets a Career Boost

Real Housewives of D.C.'s Stacie Turner says she didn't even want to do the popular Bravo show when first asked. But once she accepted, it turned out to be the perfect platform for the Realtor, entrepreneur and nonprofit director. Turner says she repeatedly turned down offers from the show's producers, but then reluctantly agreed.

"They were very persistent, and I reconsidered once I met them in person," Turner told AOL Real Estate, "and realized it was the perfect marketing platform for both my real estate career as well as my nonprofit."
Turner turned to real estate after a lucrative corporate career kept her traveling almost 85 percent of the time, demanding too much of her time to even consider having a family. But it was something she wanted, so she ditched the corporate life and decided to enter the world of real estate.

"I came to real estate in a roundabout way as I was searching for balance in my life. It was a time when the DC real estate market started exploding," says Turner.

She and her husband started investing in real estate, working on condo conversions and consulting. She found immense satisfaction in real estate, so after a year decided to close her consulting business and become a licensed real estate agent. She realized it offered her the flexibility she needed to do what she most wanted at that time -- start a family.

Turner sells for Long and Foster Real Estate, the largest real estate brokerage firm in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Due to the demands of the show, she now has a team of three people who assist her in helping clients.

Real estate is a passion she shares with her husband, but not just selling it. They both enjoy renovating homes and

have bought two fixer-uppers, their first and their current house -- and completely renovated both. Their current house, built in the 1920s, was their labor of love, a rundown church that had fallen into complete disrepair.

Her other passion that has garnered strong attention due to the show is her non-profit organization Extra-Ordinary Life which she founded in an effort to inspire and mentor teenage girls in foster care. In July 2010 she organized a trip with eight of the teens to South Africa to attend the World Cup. She called it a social, cultural, historical and community-oriented adventure.

As for selling real estate, Turner says the market in D.C. is doing better than the rest of the country, with only a single-digit decline, compared to the rest of the country which is lagging as much as 20 percent.

The small decline is due to a local economy, which has remained strong, and residents still wanting to stay close to the city. Turner says her clients are always disappointed when they're planning a move because home values are still so strong.

"The prices around the area have increased so significantly, it's expensive to live here," Turner says. "[Spending] $300,000 still only gets you a condo, and houses are around $600,0000. The closer in to the city you are the more insulated you are. The outer suburbs of Maryland have experienced some softness but not in D.C. proper."

And because of the show, she has gotten a few high-profile clients, including politicians and other diplomats. "They are so busy, they are very focused on their needs," says Turner. "It also helps that I can talk their language, because I'm not only a Realtor but have a marketing and business background."